Northern Michigan University, located in Marquette, Michigan, is a dynamic four-year, public, comprehensive university that has grown its reputation based on its award-winning leadership programs, cutting-edge technology initiatives and nationally recognized academic programs. Northern has a population of about 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

Ask a few Northern students what drew them to our university and you will get a variety of answers. That's because there is no single thing that make students want to go to Northern; it is ALL the things that we do here. Northern is big enough to offer a wide variety of academic programs but is also small enough that every time you walk across campus, you'll probably wave "hi" to someone you know.

Curiosity is the raw ingredient of knowledge. It causes us to ask questions, to seek answers, to learn. At Northern Michigan University, natural curiosity and intellectual challenge meet in stimulating classes grounded in the liberal arts. So wherever your curiosity leads you, you can count on the support you need to take the next step, ask the next question, propose the next hypothesis.

The mission of the Northern Michigan University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Recreational Sports and the United States Olympic Training Site is to create an environment that promotes academic excellence, interpersonal growth and social development; embraces diversity; teaches lifetime leisure skills; fosters spirit and tradition; and builds a lifelong connection to NMU.

Yes, you'll attend your classes, but what else will you be doing as a student at Northern? There's so much stuff to choose from. There's a student organization or club – almost 300 at last count-- for just about every interest. If you're into investigating the paranormal, anime or improv comedy, there's a group. Cheer on your fellow Wildcats at a hockey game or volleyball match. Join a competitive club sport or an intramural team. The sky is the limit.

Phantom Energy

Electronic devices obviously draw electricity when in use. Most also draw electricity when not in use. They do this while they wait poised on "standby" or because they have a clock or LED light. Sometimes they do this because their plug is poorly designed.The amount of "phantom" power drawn is amazing. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, around 75 percent of the energy used by our appliances is drawn while we think they are "off. " Typical offenders include computers, peripherals, televisions, and chargers for cell phones or iPods, etc. A quick solution to this financial and sustainability conundrum is plugging electronics into a power strip with an on/off switch. When you are through using the equipment on a strip, you can turn off the strip, which cuts the electricity to the appliances. Of these power strips, I think the most interesting is the SmartStrip.It has multiple outlets: one is the master outlet, and when a piece of equipment plugged into this outlet is turned off, all the connected outlets also shut offpower.It's a lot easier to remember to power down one electronic device, like a desktop computer, than it is to remember to shut off the monitor, printer, scanner, charger cradle, etc.